Action frame for piano



Sept. 4, 1956 A. E. KNIGHT ACTION FRAME FOR PIANO Filed April 9, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 16!? f5, 0 a :v: I:

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- ACTION FRAME FOR PIANO Filed April 9, 195; 4 sheet srsheet 4 per Afro/nay United States Patent ACTION FRAME FOR PIANO Alfred Edward Knight, Upper Edmonton, London, England Application April 9, 1953, Serial No, 347,678 Claims priority, application Great Britain January 6, 1953 3 Claims. (Cl. 84-250) The invention relates to pianos and like musical keyed instruments of the miniature upright kind and is essentially directed to that type having what is known as underbed actions, that is to say, in which the'a'ctions are located lower in relation to the keyboards than is the case with normal actions in conventional upright pianos.

With miniature pianos it is very desirable to keep the action lower in relation to the keyboard than is the case with the conventional uprightpiano.

As at present constructed in pianos of this type the keys, key bottom or rail and allied parts prevent ready access to the main action, and the keys, key bottom or rail and allied parts have to be taken out before the said action can be removed. This operation is a tiresome and laborious job involving an appreciable amount of time.

Broadly the invention consists of a construction of piano of the miniature upright kind having an under-bed action, wherein the main action is so mounted and held to position in relation to the keys, key bottom and allied parts that the former can be removed from the piano without the necessity of having first to remove the keys, key bottom and allied parts.

According to the present invention the main action is carried by members so mounted and held to position in relation to the piano frame and to the keys, key bottom or rail and allied parts that the carrying members with the main action thereon can be removed from the piano without first having to remove the keys, key bottom or rail and allied parts, these remaining in their normal positions.

Thus by the invention there is provided a construction in which the main action or action proper can be removed without the necessity of having to first remove the keys, key bottom or rail component and allied parts, so that the main action can be taken away from the piano when any work is to be done on the said action. By removing the main action access to the stringing and sounding-board and other parts is facilitated and this while the keys, key bottom or rail component and allied parts remain in position.

Thus the keys, key bottom or rail and allied parts and the main action are for the purposes of removal of the latter entirely independent of one another.

The accompanying drawings illustrate examples of the carrying into effect of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a piano showing the action mounted in position.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a piano showing the main action removed therefrom.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing one action, one standard, one carrying bracket and one key and allied parts.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of one form of end standard and Fig. 5 an end view thereof.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of one form of middle standard.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of one of the carrying brackets secured to the key bottom or rail, this bracket having a cup into which the lower end of the main action standard seats.

Fig. 8 is a plan thereof.

Fig. 9 is a view of a modified stud and screw device for retaining the mounting brackets in position.

Referring to the drawings, the keys 1 are mounted on the key bottom or rail 2. Each key has a lifter 3 for the particular striker mechanism of that part of the main action allotted to the key. The lifter 3 is pivoted to a member 3b carrying the pad for striking the whippen when a key is actuated. The member 311 is pivotally secured to a rail 3a attached to the piano frame. Thus when the main action is lifted up and removed from the piano the key rail, lifters, members and allied parts are left in their normal positions with-in the piano frame.

Secured to the key bottom or rail 2 and seating on and carried by a rail 2a are two end carrying brackets 4 and a middle or intermediate carrying bracket 5. These brackets have cups 6 formed in outriding noses or projections 7.

The main action 8 is mounted on rails 9, 10 and 11 which are secured to two end mounting standards 12 and a middle or intermediate mounting standard 13. These standards are respectively located opposite the brackets 4 and 5 on the key bottom or rail 2.

The lower ends or toes of the standards 12 and 13 are so shaped as to seat in the cup bearings 6 in the projections or noses 7 of the brackets 4 and 5.

The upper ends of the standards 12 have open-ended slots 14. Passing into these slots are shouldered or collar studs or spindles 15. A nut 16 engages the screwed end of the stud 15 and holds the standard in position.

The studs 15 are secured to the frame 16a of the piano on which the strings or wires 17 are mounted.

As shown in Fig. 9 a stud 18 may be bored and provided 1 with an internal thread, with which a milled head screw 19 engages.

In order to provide a sufficient clearance for the dampers when removing the main action the top limb of the middle standard 13 is set back in relation to the top limbs of the end standards 12.

It is to be noted that the upper end of the standard 13 is holed at 13a instead of having open-ended slots. Such a provision serves as an anchorage to prevent the main action dropping down should the end standards for some remote reason become disengaged from the cup bearings.

It will be understood that any suitable number of brackets and standards may be used intermediate of the end brackets and standards. Or in some cases end brackets and co-operating standards may be sufiicient.

To remove the main action from the piano and this without having first to remove the keys, key bottom or rail and allied parts, all that is necessary is to disconnect the standards 12 and 13 from the studs. These standards with the main action thereon can then be lifted up and removed away from the piano, as shown in Fig. 2.

It will be apparent that the invention can be variously modified and changed within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a piano or like musical instrument of the underbed type comprising a frame, a key rail, keys, and an action mounted below the key rail, lifters actuated by the keys, members carrying striking pads and to which the lifters are pivoted, a rail attached to the piano frame and on which said members are pivoted, a set of detachable standards extending below the key rail, rails secured to the standards, on which rails the action is mounted, brackets secured at their upper ends to the key rail and depending below the key rail, footstep hearings on said brackets supporting said standards, and means for detachably securing the upper ends of said standards to the frame of the piano, whereby on detaching said standards carrying the said action from the frame, these together with the action can be lifted up and removed from the piano leaving the keys, key rail, lifters and allied parts in their normal positions.

2. In a piano or like musical instrument of the underbed type comprising a frame, a key rail, keys, and an action mounted below the key rail, lifters actuated by the keys, members carrying striking pads and to which the lifters are pivoted, a rail attached to the piano frame and on which said members are pivoted, a set of detachable standards extending below the key rail, rails secured to the standards and on which rails the action is mounted, brackets secured at their upper ends to the key rail and depending below the key rail, cup bearings in said brackets in which toes of said standards seat, and means for detachably securing the upper ends of said standards to the frame of the piano, whereby on detaching said standards 20 carrying the action from the frame, these together with the action can be lifted up and removed from the piano leaving the keys, key rail, lifters and allied parts in their normal positions.

3. In a piano or like musical instrument of the underbed type comprising a frame, a key rail, keys, and an action mounted below the key rail, lifters actuated by the keys, members carrying striking pads and to which members the lifters are pivoted, a rail attached to the piano frame and on which said members are pivoted, a set of detachable standards consisting of two end standards and an intermediate standard extending below the key rail, rails secured to the standards and on which the action is mounted, brackets secured at their upper ends to the key rail and depending below the key rail, footstep bearings on said brackets supporting said standards, and means for detachably securing the upper ends of said standards to the frame of the piano, whereby on detaching said standards carrying the said action from the frame, these together with the action can be lifted up and removed from the piano leaving the keys, key rail, lifters and allied parts in their normal positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re.2l,567 Betz Sept. 17, 1940 252,370 Gmehlin Ian. 17, 1882 687,607 Darley Nov. 26, 1901 810,920 Darley Jan. 30, 1906 896,066 Sander Aug. 11, 1908 1,406,382 Higel Feb. 14, 1922 FOREIGN PATENTS 671,537 Germany Feb. 9, 1939 

